The rumor mill has focused on Gervonta Davis versus Ryan Garcia as a must see battle, but that pairing must wait. “Tank” is booked into combat on Saturday, January 7 against Hector Luis Garcia, at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.
The 2023 New Years scrap will top a Showtime pay per view production.
Hector Luis Garcia is skilled, but how will the super featherweight fare at 135?
Davis has drawn scorn from fight fans craving marquee tussles for the man who fought his way out of Baltimore, Maryland and a dead end street life.
Davis, “King Ryan,” Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney inhabited the same weight class for a long enough spell for a round robin tournament, but not one match between the young gunners of 135 got made.
Negotiations have apparently gone well enough between Team Tank and the Cali social media stalwart Garcia to the point both men said a deal was done which would have them do battle.
First, though, Davis has business to handle against Garcia, a Dominican who opened eyes by taking a super featherweight crown off New Yorker Chris Colbert last year, on short notice.
Here is a release providing more information and details on the question when does Gervonta Davis fight next….
WASHINGTON, D.C. – December 5, 2022 – Undefeated five-time world champion and boxing superstar Gervonta “Tank” Davis will make his highly anticipated return to the nation’s capital to defend his WBA World Lightweight Title against unbeaten world champion Héctor Luis García on Saturday, January 7, headlining a SHOWTIME PPV from Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C in an event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.
Davis has established himself as one of boxing’s hottest, must-see attractions, capturing five world titles through three divisions with dramatic knockouts and selling out arenas from Los Angeles to Atlanta to New York. The Baltimore native will return to fight in D.C. for the first time since 2016, when he headlines against the dangerous and streaking Héctor Luis García, needing a win to pave the way for the recently announced blockbuster clash againstunbeaten star Ryan Garcia in the spring of 2023.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by GTD Promotions and TGB Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com and capitalonearena.com.
“SHOWTIME® is coming out of the gate strong in with this hard-hitting card headlined by the sport’s most vibrant star, Gervonta Davis,” said Stephen Espinoza, President, Sports & Event Programming, Showtime Networks Inc. “Gervonta could have taken a softer touch before meeting Ryan Garcia in the spring. Instead, he’s facing a strong candidate for the 2022 Fighter of the Year in the dangerous Hector Luis Garcia and giving back to his fans with this tremendous matchup. We’re thrilled to return to the nation’s capital for the first time since 2016 for what should be an unforgettable start to the New Year for boxing fans.”
“We’re ready to welcome boxing back to the big stage in the DMV region after 17 years,” said Jordan Silberman, General Manager, Capital One Arena. “It's an honor to host ‘Tank’, a Baltimore native, and Héctor Luis García for what will no doubt be a special night at Capital One Arena.”
Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) currently holds the WBA Lightweight Title and will attempt his fourth defense when he meets Hector Luis Garcia. Davis delivered yet another highlight reel performance in his last bout, blasting out the previously unbeaten Rolando Romero with a powerful left hand in the sixth round of their May 2022 encounter.
In 2021, Davis became a three-division world champion by capturing a 140-pound title with a brilliant stoppage over then-unbeaten Mario Barrios, before turning away top lightweight contender Isaac Cruz in a successful December 5 title defense. In October 2020, Davis scored a sensational knockout over Leo Santa Cruz, making him the first person to ever drop thefour-division champion. Davis’ elite ability, coupled with his explosive knockout power, has made him a rising force in the sport ever since bursting onto the scene with an explosive knockout victory over Jose Pedraza in 2017. Boasting a knockout rate over 92%, Davis captured his lightweight championship with a 12th-round KO of former unified champion Yuriorkis Gamboa in December 2019.
“I’m very excited to be fighting again in the DMV,” said Davis. “I can’t wait to see all my day one supporters, family, friends, and fans come together for a big fight party. My opponent is an Olympian and a world champion who’s proven to the boxing world that he is a tremendous competitor. I’m in camp working hard and I’ll be ready on January 7 to make this a statement fight for all my future opponents. Make sure you get your tickets now, because this fight is going to be a sellout for sure! Keep supporting me and I’ll fight for you!”
The WBA Super Featherweight World Champion Héctor Luis García (16-0, 10 KOs) is coming off a spectacular 2022 highlighted by two marquee victories. García has fought professionally since December of 2016 after a stellar amateur career that included representing his native Dominican Republic in the 2016 Olympics® and a runner-up finish at the 2015 Pan-Am Games in Toronto.
Now training in Las Vegas under the watchful eye of respected trainer Bob Santos, García scored one of the biggest upsets of 2022 in February, when he dropped and defeated then-unbeaten Chris Colbert. In August, García captured the world title with a one-sided unanimous decision over incumbent Roger Gutierrez, making him a strong candidate for Fighter of the Year honors. The 31-year-old stands at 5-foot-9 and will own a sizeable height advantage over Davis when he makes his lightweight debut on January 7.
“I want to thank my whole team, along with Gervonta Davis, for the opportunity to face one of the best fighters in the world,” said García. “This is going to elevate my game and ultimately, it’s going to give the fans an all-time classic that they won’t forget. On January 7, Gervonta Davis and I are going to produce a war that is going to go down as one of the great fights in history and will solidify my name with the greats.”
The pay-per-view telecast is produced and distributed by SHOWTIME PPV and marks the return of SHOWTIME BOXING® to the Capital One Arena location for the first time since June 11, 2005, for Mike Tyson’s farewell fight with Kevin McBride. It also represents the return of SHOWTIME and big-time boxing to the nation’s capital for the first time since April 30, 2016.
Founder/editor Michael Woods got addicted to boxing in 1990, when Buster Douglas shocked the world with his demolition of the then-impregnable Mike Tyson.
The Brooklyn-based journalist has covered the sport since for ESPN The Magazine, ESPN.com, Bad Left Hook and RING. His journalism career started with NY Newsday in 1999.
Michael Woods is also an accomplished blow by blow and color man, having done work for Top Rank, DiBella Entertainment, EPIX, and for Facebook Fightnight Live, since 2017.